Hindi to be Taught in Australian Schools

IndiaTimes

May 21, 2013

A vast untapped pool of skilled Indian migrants should be used to teach Hindi in Australian schools and universities, according to a report.

The report by Melbournebased think tank Australia India Institute argues for the inclusion of Hindi in Australia's school curriculum, saying it should be an essential part of the Commonwealth's Asia policy.Authored by well known Australian journalist Hamish McDonald, the report says Hindi was included as one of the four priority languages in the government's Asia white paper last year, along with Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian."The prospect is for Hindi language teaching to grow organically out of existing programmes , with an emphasis on quality rather than a quick rush for larger numbers," McDonald wrote."At school level, the Indian diaspora in Australia is likely to supply the initial demand for Hindi teaching and the supply of teachers as well."Establishing an "Australia Bhavan [House]" in a north Indian city for Australian undergraduates to take Hindi courses and extending opportunities for Australian students to spend part of their course at Indian institutions were few other recommendations of the report. PTI